title: Bioconjugated nanoparticles for attachment and penetration into pathogenic bacteria.
abstract: As an antimicrobial agent, silver nanoparticles functionalized with both bacitracin A and polymyxin E (AgNPs-BA&PE) were designed and synthesized with complementary antibacterial functions to act against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. AgNPs-BA&PE could easily get attached and penetrate into the bacterial cell membrane through surface-immobilized BA and PE with a membrane target, resulting in up to 10-fold increase in the antibacterial activity, without the emergence of bacterial resistance. Analysis of the antimicrobial mechanism confirmed that the synthesized nanoparticles caused disorganization of the bacterial cytomembrane and leakage of cytoplasmic contents. This antimicrobial agent with better biocompatibility can promote healing of infected wounds, and has promising and useful applications in biomedical devices and antibacterial control systems.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry Education, Institute of Polymer Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mei
authors.forename: Zhentan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhongming
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xinge
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yanan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yuting
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Chaoxing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yanxia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001414:Bacitracin / Q000737:chemistry*; D003091:Colistin / Q000737:chemistry*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001414:Bacitracin; D012834:Silver; C026461:bacitracin A; D003091:Colistin
keywords: Antibacterial material; Antimicrobial mechanism; Bacitracin A; Bacterial infection; Polymyxin E; Silver nanoparticles